Heavy items and machinery often need to be moved in commercial and industrial environments. For example, packagers, distributors, and end users of canisters holding compressed fluids (e.g., oxygen, carbon dioxide, argon gas, propane, cryogenic fluids, and other liquids or gases) often need to move many canisters, which can weigh up to a total of 3,000 to 5,000 lbs when full. The common need to transport such heavy canisters led to development of conventional carting systems designed to carry multiple canisters, such as six or twelve canisters. These conventional carts include a heavy-duty platform on which the canisters are placed and some form of securing elements, such as straps wrapped around the canisters or an internal frame having internal welds, for holding the canisters together.
Due to the heaviness of canisters carried by conventional carts and a need to move the carts when loaded, some carts were outfitted with a hook connected to the platform by which the cart and items could be hoisted (e.g., by crane), such as from a warehouse or packaging plant to a moving vehicle and facilities of an end user. However, it was often difficult and/or inefficient to move these conventional carts relatively small distances. For example, sometimes movement of the cart was needed in areas where most cranes could not go. Also, even when the area was crane-accessible, it was cost prohibitive to move the crane to the area for moving the cart small distances and it was sometimes awkward using a crane to finely locate the cart in a position, such as in a tight space between other machinery.
For allowing small-distance transport and fine positioning of heavily loaded carts without using heavy machinery, some conventional carts were designed to include casters, or swivel wheels. Although these types of carts can be movable from place to place, the wheels often break or fail, causing bodily injury or even death. Accordingly, there is a need for mobile carts for heavy items such as gas canisters, which are safe to use.